Mechanical puzzle



1953 s. REYNOLDS ETAL MECHANICAL PUZZLE Filed Oct. 16, 1951 INVENTORS J07: uyierfqyn ids a wyssas 1'7 ranz BY 'KW ATTORNEY Patented May 26, 1953 MECHANICAL PUZZLE Schuyler Reynolds and Ulysses F. Grant,

Columbus, Ohio Application October 16, 1951, Serial No. 251,496

4 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanical puzzle devices, having particular reference to games or toys of the puzzle-presenting type in which an element of mystery is involved on the part of unskilled observers or users in determining the solution to the principle of operation thereof.

It is an object of the invention to provide a mechanical puzzle in which a rotatable pointerbearing indexing device is carried by a stationary base member, the latter containing numerals of the type appearing on a conventional clock dial, or other insignia, the construction of the puzzle being such that one sponsoring the puzzle and having knowledge of its mechanical working principles may determine a given setting of the indexing device with respect to the insignia and without disclosure to the sponsor and by an uninformed manipulator or observer.

It is another object of the invention to provide a mechanical toy or puzzle of. this character in which a concealed and yieldable stop member is mounted on the base of the puzzle within the confines of a rotatable hand-bearing indexing device, the stop member serving, through engagement with a device-carried stud or shoulder, to provide a means responsive to the sense of touch of the skilled user in enabling such an experienced manipulator to determine a prior setting of the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanically simple and inexpensive puzzle through which an operation is presented adapted to mystify inexperienced users thereof.

For a further understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a mechanical puzzle formed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through the puzzle on the plane indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the puzzle, parts of the hand-bearing indexing device being broken away to disclose internal structure.

As shown in the drawings, our improved puzzle comprises a base member I, which may be formed from any suitable material, although I have found thermoplastic or thermosetting resins preferable to use in many respects. The base may be of any suitable configuration, although in the present instance, the same has been shown as being substantially square. Other configurations, of course, may be utilized.

Arising from the base in the center thereof is a stationary vertical stud or post 2. The latter, in this instance, is formed with a threaded shank 3 and a head 4 at the bottom thereof which is received within a shallow recess 5 present in the underside of the base I. Threaded on the shank 3 is an internally threaded sleeve 6. The outer end of this sleeve is flanged as at I to retain rotatably a hollow indexing knob or device 8 in connection with the base member I.

Rotatably positioned for turning movement around the stud or post 2 and disposed in the hollow interior of the device 8 is a frictional stop member 9, the huh I!) of which being maintained in frictional contact with the sleeve 6, the frictional engagement between said hub and sleeve being such as to maintain the stop member in its various positions of adjustment.

The upper face ll of the base member is provided preferably around the peripheral edge of the indexing knob or device 8 with conventional dial numerals, indicated at N, and the outer face of the indexing device 8 is equipped with a hand pointer, or the like l2 pointing toward the numerals N. The indexing device may be formed from any suitable materials, a molded synthetic resin of opaque coloration being usually employed.

In this instance, an inwardly disposed face of the knob device 8 carries a laterally projecting shoulder l3. The latter is so disposed that rotation of the indexing device will cause the shoulder to contact the yieldable stop member 9, producing rotation of said stop member in unison with the indexing device. Such movement is effected with a slight increase in the manual effort necessary to turn the indexing device and while the contact between the shoulder and stop member may be felt by an informed operator, it will not ordinarily be noticed by the inexperienced user. This contact, felt through the sense of touch, is the key to the operation of the puzzle. For example, in the use of the puzzle, the informed user or manipulator rotates the indexing devicein a 7 clockwise direction until engagement is made he- 45 tween the stop member and the shoulder l3 of said device and continues clockwise rotation until the pointer l2 occupies a position in registry with the numeral 12 appearing on the dial N.

The puzzle is then handed to an untrained or inexperienced user with the request that he may secretly rotate the indexing device clockwise so that the hand 12 thereon may be positioned at any place around the dial. When this has been done and the position mentally noted by the user, the indexing device is then restored by counterclockwise rotation by' the user and handed to the experienced manipulator with the hand I2 adjusted by the user for registry with the numeral 12 on the dial N. Said manipulator can then inform the inexperienced user as to the secret position to which the hand had been rotated by said user on the dial. Such position can be readily determined by the experienced manipulator through rotating the indexing device 4 clockwise to a position in which the shoulder 13 contacts the concealed stop member 9, which without his knowledge had been previously set by the inexperienced user in turning the indexing device to the secret position known to the user. By the sense of touch, the experienced manipulator may readily ascertain when the shoulder l3 contacts the stop member 9, and by observing the position of the hand I?! with relation to the dial N,-the manipulator can announce or openly display the dial number of the secret turning made by the inexperienced user.

If desired, the front face of the base member I, contiguous to the numeral 12 appearing on the dial N, may be formed with an outwardly and laterally projecting pin 15, which is arranged in the path of movement of the outer end of the hand or pointer I2 when the indexing device 8 is normally positioned. The experienced user by pulling outwardly on the knob or device 8, against the resistance of a spring l6 underlying the flanged end I of the sleeve 6, and disposed in a socket 11 formed axially in the outer portion of the device, may overcome spring tension to slide the device 8 on the sleeve '6 suiliciently to cause the under surface of the pointer or hand I2 to override the pin or stud l5. Normally, however, the presence of the pin or stud I urges the inexperienced user of the device to rotate the hand or pointer I 2 in a clockwise direction after initially setting the same at the numeral. 12 and to return the pointer to the numeral 12 in a counterclockwise direction. Also, the stud I2 prevents the inexperienced user from detecting the mechanical principle of the puzzle in the following manner: the experienced user rotates the indexing device 8 clockwise until pointer l2 contacts pin l5; now upon handing the device to the inexperienced user for inspection, the inexperienced user can rotate the indexing device on either side of the pin 15 without there being any change in tension. The device is again placed in operation by the experienced user by clockwise rotation of the indexing device 11 until pointer l2 contacm pin [5 and then by lifting indexing device 8 until pointer l2 overrides pin 15 and passes it in a clockwise direction.

We claim:

1. A mechanical puzzle, comprising: a base member having an outer face bearing circularly disposed and relatively spaced symbols, an indexing device mounted for axial rotation on the symbol-bearing face of said base member, a concealed and yieldably turnable stop member covered by said device and rotatable about its axis of turning movement, means formed with said indexing device adapted for contact with said stop member upon predetermined rotation of said device to produce rotation of the stop member in unison with said device, rotation of said device in a direction opposite to that of the aforesaid predetermined direction of rotation serving to space the contacting means of the indexing device from said stop member, and frictional means coacting with said stop member to maintain the positions of adjustment thereof when spaced from the rotating means of said indexing device.

2. A mechanical puzzle, comprising: a base member having an outer face bearing relatively spaced symbols disposed about a central axis, fixed stud means carried by said base member and arranged in said axis, an indexing device mounted for axial rotation on said stud means, said indexing. device including a radially projecting pointer extending toward said symbols, a concealed and yieldably turnable stop member covered by said device and rotatable about said axial stud means, and projection means formed and rotatable with said indexing device adapted to contact said stop member upon predetermined rotation of said device to produce rotation of the stop member in unison with said indexing device, rotation of said indexing device in an opposite direction serving to space said projection means from said stop member whereby to retain the latter in a relatively fixed position of adjustment.

3. A mechanical puzzle as defined in claim 2 and further characterized by the provisionof a fixed stop element projecting outwardly and leterally from the face of said base member on which said indexing. device is mounted, said element being disposed in the path of movement of said indexing device pointer whereby to arrest normally sustained rotation of said indexing device and to limit rotation thereof to one side or the other of said stop element.

4. A mechanical puzzle as defined in claim 2 and further characterized by the provision of a fixed stop element projecting outwardly and laterally from the face of said base member on which said indexing device is mounted, said element being disposed in the path of movement of said indexing device pointer whereby to arrest normally sustained rotation of said indexing device and to limit rotation thereof to one side or the other of said stop element, and spring means concealed in said indexing device providing for outward movement of the latter on said axial stud means to permit the pointer of the indexing device to be yieldably elevated and movedover the outer portion of said base carried stop element in producing sustained rotation of said indexing device in a given direction.

SCHUYLER REYNOLDS. 1 ULYSSES F. GRANT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 925,814 Jones June 22, 1909 1,585,066 Wilson May 18, 1926 2,425,965 Sundheim Aug. 19, 1947 

